Canada announces two-year cap on international student visas; move likely to impact Indians

 Reuters Canada has announced  it will immediately introduce a two-year cap on new international student visas to address the housing crisis and target  "bad actors" within the organization, but the move will only apply to  Indians planning to study in the country. likely to affect people. Immigration Minister Mark Miller said the number of new study visas would be cut by 35% in 2024 as part of the cap. 

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This cap is expected to result in 3.64 billion new permits being approved  in 2024. Last year, nearly 560,000 study abroad visas were issued. He said the cap would apply for two years and the number of permits  issued in 2025 would be reassessed at the end of this year.

"To maintain a sustainable level of temporary residence in Canada and to ensure that  the number of international students in Canada does not continue to increase in 2024, we will continue to reduce national enrollment for two years starting in 2024," Global News' Miller said. We will set an upper limit." Quoting Mr. Miller. https://twitter.com/MarcMillerVM/status/1749577773968949481

The move comes amid pressure from provinces on the federal government to allow more people to enter Canada without permanent residency as the country faces a housing crisis, CBC News reported. .  Miller said earlier this month  that the international student cap is not a "one-size-fits-all solution" to the housing shortage across Canada. In 2022, more than 8 million international students will be issued temporary study visas. Miller said last fall that the 2023 number is expected to be more than triple the number allowed a decade ago. 

Indian students are also said to be affected. The move is expected to impact Indian students  who consider Canada as a preferred destination for higher education. India became the first of the 10 countries of origin for Canada's study permit holders in 2022, with a total student population of 3,19,000. 

Fight against organized "bad guys" Mr Miller said that by introducing this cap, the federal government was taking action against some small private universities. He said the move would help the government  target  "bad actors" within the organization. “While some private educational institutions have significantly increased their international student intake, they have taken advantage of them by operating underfunded campuses, lacking support for students, and charging high tuition fees. This is unacceptable,” Miller said.

In a media statement, Ontario's Minister of Universities and Universities Jill Dunlop said the Ontario government believes that "some bad actors are exploiting students with false promises of jobs, residency and guaranteed Canadian citizenship." He said he was aware of it. The minister said Ontario has consulted with the federal government on "how to combat practices such as predatory solicitation."  Nova Scotia's Ministry of Higher Education said in a statement that the province "will need to assess the impact of the federal changes  once  more details, including provincial allocations, are known."